February 2018http://www.greenwichconservatives.com/archives/201802
enConservatives propose lower council tax rise, more help for the vulnerable & action on flytippinghttp://www.greenwichconservatives.com/news/1883
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><img style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;" class="media-element file-side-image" src="http://www.greenwichconservatives.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/Budget%20Twitter%20graphic.png?itok=9fPZJ94i" width="250" height="125" alt="" />Conservative councillors in Greenwich are set to oppose the Labour-run Council’s planned 2.99% Council Tax rise at a meeting on Wednesday night (28th February) – instead proposing a fully-costed budget alternative that would deliver a lower council tax rise, more support for vulnerable residents and action on flytipping.<br /> </p><p>Labour’s planned 2.99% Council Tax rise is equivalent to an extra £32.24 a year for a ‘Band D’ property – and is the maximum the council is allowed, by law, to introduce without putting the move to a public vote in a local referendum.</p><p>Opposition Conservative councillors are putting their alternative proposal to a vote at Woolwich Town Hall on Wednesday (28th February). The Conservative proposal would deliver the same increases in funding for adult social care, homelessness and staff pay as Labour’s plan – in addition to:</p><ul><li>A lower Council Tax rise (1.99%), saving residents £10.92 a year for a Band D property compared to Labour’s plan</li><li>More support for the vulnerable, by lifting more than 15,000 working-age residents on low incomes out of Council Tax altogether</li><li>Action on flytipping by removing charges for Bulky Waste Collection in 2018/19, to evaluate the potential for significant long-term savings on flytipping costs </li></ul><p>The fully-costed plan, which has been independently validated by council officers as feasible, would be funded by removing £1.6 million of wasteful spending including;</p><ul><li>Abolishing the council’s ‘Greenwich Information’ magazine and reducing non-statutory publicity spending (saving £305,000 a year)</li><li>Ending the practice of using local taxpayers’ money to subsidise Trade Union activity in the borough (saving £248,500 year)</li><li>Maximising the use of the Apprenticeship Levy by significantly improving on apprenticeships, setting clear targets and bringing apprenticeship training in-house (saving £400,000 a year)</li><li>Cutting wasteful spending on PR, reputation management and photography (saving £34,970 a year), the Local Government Information Unit (£38,000 a year), catering at the Mayor’s Inauguration (£14,030 a year), a private contractor for last-minute mailouts (£60,000 a year) and the use of external venues and catering instead of council facilities (£67,500 a year).</li><li>Implementing culture change and efficiency savings to reduce over time the council’s enormous spend on printing, photocopying, postage and other non-essential spending (saving £432,000 a year over two years).</li></ul><p>The Conservative plan would also commit the council to review, for the future, its approach to paid overtime – which currently costs £2.3 million a year – and its approach to procurement, which in total comes to hundreds of millions of pounds a year – which could identify even greater long-term savings to the council’s costs.</p><p>Councillor Matt Hartley, Leader of Greenwich Conservatives, said: “Yet again, Labour councillors have gone straight for the highest tax hike they can get away with, and yet again, they have failed to get their house in order first.</p><p>“We have already identified £1.6 million of waste and inefficiency that should be dealt with before the council digs even deeper into taxpayers’ pockets – and the reality is there is probably an even greater sum that could be saved without affecting services.</p><p>“Our plan would instead mean a lower Council Tax rise for everyone, more than 15,000 residents on the lowest incomes lifted out of Council Tax altogether, and action on flytipping across the borough through piloting free bulky waste collections.</p><p>“It’s a simple question of priorities – continuing to waste public money, or working smarter to keep taxes lower while doing more to support those most in need. Residents deserve better than Labour’s plan – and I hope Labour councillors will see sense and vote for our fully-costed proposal.”</p><p>The agenda for the meeting can be found <a href="http://committees.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=151&amp;MId=4602">here</a> and the meeting will be streamed online <a href="https://royalgreenwich.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/322018">here</a>.</p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-2 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/council-tax">Council Tax</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/council-tax-support">Council Tax Support</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/flytipping">flytipping</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Ward:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/greenwich-federation">Greenwich Federation</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/greenwich">Greenwich &amp; Woolwich</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/bw">Blackheath Westcombe</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/ch">Charlton</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/gw">Greenwich West</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/gl">Glyndon</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/pa">Peninsula</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/wc">Woolwich Common</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/wr">Woolwich Riverside</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/eltham">Eltham</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/cn">Coldharbour and New Eltham</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/en">Eltham North</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/es">Eltham South</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/ew">Eltham West</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/kh">Kidbrooke with Hornfair</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/ms">Middle Park and Sutcliffe</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sh">Shooters Hill</a></div></div></div>Tue, 27 Feb 2018 22:22:49 +0000Matt.Hartley1883 at http://www.greenwichconservatives.comFurther Conservative candidates selected for May 2018 council electionshttp://www.greenwichconservatives.com/news/1881
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>A further 12 candidates have been selected to stand for Greenwich Conservatives in the local council elections on May 3rd. Candidates have been selected for Eltham West, Greenwich West, Peninsula and Woolwich Riverside wards, joining other candidates already selected in Eltham and Blackheath on the local Conservative team for the elections.</p><p><strong>Eltham West</strong> ward will be contested by Jim Davis, Gemma Turrell, and James Worron. Jim has lived in Eltham for the last 20 years, bringing up his family locally and being heavily involved in the community. Gemma has lived in the borough since 2010 and currently lives on Kidbrooke Park Road. She works locally in administration, uses the 286 / 132 bus daily and has supported local transport campaigns. James lives in the ward, in Kidbrooke Village, and has lived locally for seven years. He works in central London advising businesses investing in the UK and in his spare time volunteers as a trustee of a local charity which supports abuse victims.</p><p><strong>Greenwich West </strong>ward will be contested by Jessica Goodrum, Gavin Harran and Chris Swift. Jessica lives in Greenwich West and currently works for a consultancy firm, advising businesses across a range of sectors. Also a local resident, Gavin works in financial services and has also worked for the government and as an expert in financial policy. He is a trustee of the education charity Ignite!Futures and has spent time volunteering as a school governor and as a youth mentor.</p><p><strong>Peninsula </strong>ward will be contested by Ben Green, Antony Higginbotham and Reece Smith. Ben was one of the first residents to move into the Greenwich Millennium Village development on Peartree Way, works as a freelance consultant and is passionate about improving educational outcomes. Antony has lived in Greenwich for the last three years and is heavily involved in the community, including close to two years as a school governor of a local Pupil Referral Unit and volunteering to mentor young offenders. Reece also lives in Peninsula ward, works in financial services and is a long standing Conservative campaigner.</p><p><strong>Woolwich Riverside</strong> ward will be contested by Tom Spiller, Tomas Thurogood-Hyde and Chris Van Roon. Tom lives in Woolwich with his wife and newborn daughter, commutes into central London via the DLR and is passionate about reducing petty crime and anti-social behaviour. Tomas has worked in the education sector for five years and as a governor and legal support officer for a leading school group, he is passionate about ensuring children have the best possible start in life. Chris has lived locally for years, is a former Councillor, and serves a trustee of a central London church where he co-ordinates action supporting Hackney Foodbank.</p><p>Find out more about candidates selected for the elections so far at <a href="http://www.greenwichconservatives.com/about-us/council-candidates ">http://www.greenwichconservatives.com/about-us/council-candidates </a></p><p>Further candidate selections in other wards will be announced over the next few weeks.</p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-2 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/council-candidates">Council candidates</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Ward:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/greenwich-federation">Greenwich Federation</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/greenwich">Greenwich &amp; Woolwich</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/gw">Greenwich West</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/pa">Peninsula</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/wr">Woolwich Riverside</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/eltham">Eltham</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/ew">Eltham West</a></div></div></div>Thu, 15 Feb 2018 07:55:37 +0000Matt.Hartley1881 at http://www.greenwichconservatives.comCllr Geoff Brighty welcomes new bus connection to Charlton Retail Parkhttp://www.greenwichconservatives.com/news/1863
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>After repeated lobbying for a new connection Blackheath Westcombe ward councillor, Geoff Brighty, has welcomed confirmation that Transport for London (TfL) is reviewing options for a new bus link which would run to the Charlton Retail Park. Residents in Blackheath have been left without a direct link to Sainsbury’s since the supermarket moved location.</p><p> </p><p>Extending the run of an existing route such as the 202, which currently terminates at the Standard, was deemed to be difficult because of the length of the route. However, TfL has now confirmed that they are reviewing options for an entirely new bus route that could link the Standard with the retail park. They are currently looking at two options with option 1 serving Stratheden Road and the Standard. Neither of the possible routes would use Westcombe Hill.</p><p> </p><p>Geoff said “<em>Lots of people in Blackheath used to get the bus to Sainsbury’s in its former location, but now are without that connection, it is good news for that this link could be restored. I am also glad that residents of Westcombe Hill will not be negatively impacted by any new bus route. I have been working to secure these links for some time and am glad to see progress being made”.</em></p><p> </p><p>Additionally, either of these new routes would meet the demands of petitioners for more bus capacity between Kidbrooke Village and North Greenwich.</p><p> </p><p>In 2017 Blackheath Westcombe Conservatives ran a petition, signed by over 300 residents, calling for a new bus route to connect Kidbrooke Village and North Greenwich to boost capacity on buses and relieve demand on Kidbrooke railway station. The petition has since been presented to the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan by Conservative London Assembly Member Shaun Bailey.</p><p> </p><p>Finance has now been identified via the Kidbrooke Village planning process. The slight drawback is that funding would be triggered only when 1900 units in Kidbrooke Village have been sold and that is not anticipated to be until 2020.</p><p> </p><p>In other bus related news, Councillor Brighty secured repairs to the bus shelter next to Blackheath railway station and has continued to raise the issue of overcrowding on the 132 bus route with TfL, who claim capacity on the route is sufficient .</p><p> </p><p>Sadly, however, it has not been all good news for Blackheath’s buses. Late last year the Labour Mayor of London announced that services on the 89, N89 and 53 buses would be reduced, with the 89 bus bring reduced from 6 to 5 buses per hour, the N89 reduced from 3 buses per hour to 2 at weekends, and the 53 being cut from one every 20 minutes to every 30 minutes on week nights. The Mayor has also cancelled much needed upgrades to the jubilee line.</p><p> </p><p>Campaigner Thomas Turrell added “<em>Local bus route and the jubilee line upgrades have been cut due to unfunded political gimmicks from the Mayor of London. If we’re to reduce air pollution and cut congestion we need public transport that can be relied upon. I am pleased that a new bus connection has been secured to connect Kidbrooke Village and North Greenwich but disappointed to see other services being reduced because of a mismanagement of TfL’s budget”. </em></p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-2 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/buses">Buses</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/transport">transport</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/tfl">TfL</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/public-transport">Public Transport</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/transport-london">Transport for London</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/jubilee-line">Jubilee Line</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Ward:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/greenwich-federation">Greenwich Federation</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/greenwich">Greenwich &amp; Woolwich</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/bw">Blackheath Westcombe</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/ch">Charlton</a></div></div></div>Thu, 01 Feb 2018 20:33:47 +0000Tom.Turrell1863 at http://www.greenwichconservatives.com